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When I opened my eyes everything was black. Once my eyes adjusted to the darkness I noticed small glowing blue bead like bags scattered over the ceiling, illuminated the room. I was in some sort of cave or alcove. I wasn't exactly sure but from the uneven shape of the room I was in it seemed that it was nature made. The room had a fresh, earthy smell. I was lying on the floor on some sort of furry soft blanket with another lying on top of me. Maybe some type of animal skin. Feeling the soft fabric brush against my naked skin, I gasped realizing my gray wind suit was gone.
How did I get here?
I began to sit up but quickly was hit with a wave of dizziness and was forced to lie back down. The exerted energy made me drowsy again and I started to drift off to sleep. Just as I was drifting off into sleep, my ears twitched, hearing a small murmur of voices approaching the room. The small voices grew in volume as they drew into the room and came by my side. My heart accelerated as I recognized the language being spoken; the native language of the Na'vi. Helen had taught me this language before she'd even taught me English.
"Is this the one Gar'han found?" ,one voice asked; It sounded female.
"Yes, Al'mah wants to speak to her," another voice replied, also female.
"Why?"
"Did you see what she was wearing when Gar'han found her?"
"No, what?"
"Human clothes."
I heard a faint gasp.
"Poor, poor child. She must have been captured by the demons and managed to escape. Thank Eywa she is alive." I felt a soft comforting palm rest onto my forehead.
"That's what I was thinking. And look at her hair." I felt another hand play with my long wavy strands.
"Mhm. No beads or anything, so plain." They continued to whisper back and forth but soon I began to drift off to sleep from fatigue.
The next time I opened my eyes I felt much more alert, the weight of fatigue gone from my limbs.
"Look! She's awake!"
My eyes snapped up to a pair of golden green eyes. My eyes widened. I'd never been face to face with a Na'vi. The only Na'vi I had ever seen was the one I saw in my mirror back home. By one glance, it was evident that she was a native. Her black hair was in braids, adorned with small trinkets and beads, and her clothing was scarce.
"Hello." She had a motherly voice that reminded me of Helen.
"Hello," I murmured, my voice coming out raspy.
"Anya, give the child a bit of water." Sitting at her side, a young Na'vi, probably a few years older than my seventeen years, passed me a gourd of cool water, her tail flickered back and forth excitedly. I chugged down every last drop without hesitation.
"Thank you" I whispered as I handed back the drinking gourd.
"What is your name, child?" the older woman asked me.
I opened my mouth for a second prepared to say Jessy, but I didn't think that it was such a good idea to give my very human name. The last thing I wanted was for them to be suspicious of me. One thing I was certain of was the Na'vi's hate for humans. I was practically a human in a Na'vi's body. I decided my best plan of action.
"I-I don't remember."
The woman was looking at me sadly. Could she tell I was lying?
"You poor child. You hit your head pretty hard. You've got a pretty big bump on your head to show for it."
I rain my fingers along my skull until I encountered a large lump and winced.
"Wouldn't be alive if it weren't for Gar'han."
"Who's Gar'han?" I asked.
"Only the bravest warrior in Kelutral!" The younger one exclaimed, her tail twitching. I recalled Helen's voice in my head teaching me that Kelutral was the same as Home Tree.
"Is that where we are right now? Kelutral?" I asked.
"Yes. My name is Janii and this here is Anya."
"It's a pleasure to meet you both. And thank you for taking care of me while I was passed out," I said.
"It's always a pleasure helping a sister of The People." She dipped a small cloth into a bowl of water, ringed it out and placed it against the lump on my woozy head. The cool cloth was soothing.
"Do you know where my clothes are?" I asked.
"The clothes you were wearing when Gar'han found you were the creations of the demons" she explained. I nodded mutely. Demons. Humans. For the Na'vi, these two words were the same
"So they were thrown away." Anya piped. What would I wear? And my communicator! True, it hadn't worked, but it was my only hope.
"Anya will be happy to give you something to wear," Janii said, reading my expressions and patted my hand as she and Anya rose.
"For now just rest," she said leaving, with Anya trailing behind her. Janii paused before she left, as if she had forgotten something.
"Oh and Al'mah would like to speak to you once you are feeling better." With that, both Na'vi women left. But who was Al'mah?
I yawned. Well my first ever encounter with the Na'vi hadn't gone so bad. If only Helen and Ray could see me now.
I walked barefoot down a corridor-like alcove with Janii at my side. I continually fidgeted with the clothing Anya had given me. I was practically wearing nothing. I had convinced Anya into giving me a pair of leggings and and a chest peice that was fairly modest compared to what most female Na'vi wore. Although the thing wasn't what I would ever consider modest, it was still beautiful; adorned with pretty feathers, and trinkets. But still I wasn't at all used to showing any skin. Most days I wore comfortable windsuits or sweats with a tanktop.
It had been a week since I'd first woken. A week and I hadn't seen hide or hair of Ray. I'd spent the entire week expecting him to come bursting to my rescue. This fantasy was completely impossible though. I didn't even know my own coordinates let alone Ray. The rest of my time was spent healing and taking the herbs that Janii gave me that were supposed to help with my head. Today, I'd finally been able to stand without toppling over. So today was the day I would have the pleasure of meeting the mysterious Al'mah. Janii had told me he was the current leader of thier clan and from the way she said his name, I could see he was highly revered.
"This is where Al'mah spends most of his time," Janii said as she pulled back a curtain of beads to reveal a large room.
"The War Room," she said. This room, like the room I had stayed in, was another natural alcove in the Home Tree. Except this room was much larger than the one I'd stayed in and the walls were stacked with all sorts of hand made weapons; boomerangs, bows, arrows, and axes.
I had noticed all the minor details of the room in a glance. What held my attention was the multitude of Na'vi that swarmed the room. I'd never thought I would ever see so many natives. There had to be over two dozen of them, all busy sharpening arrows and other such things. I took a few steps into the room, awed. Looking around the room I finally locked eyes with a familiar pair of golden almond eyes. They were the same eyes I'd seen glowing in the jungle on the other side of the waterfall! The almond eyes were connected to a male Na'vi who was sharpening an arrow with a serious looking face. Something told me he wasn't the type to smile often.
"You must be the child Gar'han rescued," an aged man's voice said from behind me. I swiveled around to look up at a grinning elder male Na'vi. Never in my life did I have to look up to see someone. He had a withered face that somehow seemed still full of life. He wore more clothing then the rest of the Na'vi in the room, and it made him look more important.
"Are you Al'mah?"
"Yes, I am."
For a moment I considered bowing. But I wasn't exactly sure if that was tradition here. I would most likely end up looking stupid.
"And I know who you are," he continued.
'Doubt it,' I thought sarcastically to myself. I cleared my throat. "You do?"
"Yes, but you have not yet discovered who you are."
I scratched the back of my neck growing nervous. "No, um, sir" I said, sticking to the story of I hit my head and now I can't remember anything."
"I knew your father," Al'mah said a-matter-of-factly, turning away to pick up a bow and examine it.
Father was a foreign word to me. It wasn't a word used much on base. I knew for a fact that I did not have a father. Or a mother for that matter. I was born in a lab, composed of Na'vi DNA. But I played along.
"Who was my father?"
He turned around to look at me with a knowing smile, and for some strange reason, it made me nervous.
"I think you should find that out on your own." Ok..? This guy was crazy.
"Did you know my mother as well?" Why was I encourageing him?
"Yes, I know her," he said stroking his beard and looking at me curiously, his eyes glimmering in the dim light. "You know, you look just like her."
"Gar'han!" Al'mah called suddenly, making me jump. I turned around extremely curious to know who Gar'han was. The male who'd I'd stared at earlier approached Al' mah with the same stoic look.
"Tomorrow I would like you to take Jessy to visit the plains clan, to see her mother." My eyes widened. He knew my name! It had rolled off his tongue in a Na'vi accent. And he wanted me to travel out there on the Pandora? Al'mah barked out a laughter, looking at my dinner plate sized eyes. "Don't look so scared child. Gar'han here is the best warrior in Kelutral and will protect you from any nasty things in our forests."
Gar'han dipped his head in a respectful nod.
If this was supposed to comfort me, it didn't do its job. How would Ray ever find me if I was running all over Pandora?
"I must go now. You're in good hands do not worry." He leaned forward to kiss me on each cheek and hurried off to attend to Lord knows what. For a moment I stood mouth agape, staring down the path Al'mah had hurried down.
Snapping out of my stupor, I looked up to see what Gar'han thought about all of this, but he had already disappeared.
"Come! We must prepare you for your journey!" Janii exclaimed. The rest of the evening was spent preparing me for my trip to the plains clan. That night I could barely close my eyes, let alone, fall asleep. For some odd reason my tumbled thoughts rested on Gar'han and his serious glowing eyes. I wonder what he thought of all this. Still thinking about Gar'han's thoughts, I drifted off to sleep, dreaming of a tall blue man.
Morning came too early.
"Get up! Get up!" Anya yelped pulling away the net like bed I'd been sleeping in. You get to see your mother! How exciting!"
"Five more minutes," I groaned. 'Oops. I'd just spoken English, but I doubt she'd heard me', I thought rolling up into a ball. My eyes flew open when I felt something being dragged throughout my hair.
"Ouch! What are you doing to me!" I exclaimed, my voiced muffled from being buried in a pillowing arm.
"Only trying to brush this jungle on you head." Anya giggled. During the small time I'd staid her, I'd learned Anya had a small obsession for hair, and I had let her (reluctantly) put a few braids and beads in it. I sat up and stretched and yawned. Anya tossed a woven sack on my lap. "Everything you need is in there. Get dressed in five minutes or I'm bringing in Janii." I frowned as I pulled off my night gown and struggled to put on the strange outfit Anya had given me. Now which was the front?
By the time I was ready and dressed, (I missed my own clothes) Anya gave me a small breakfast of fruit. When I'd finished eating she instructed me to follow her. We ascended up a path that I'd never been on before.
"Does this path lead to an entrance?" I asked, curiously.
"Yes." As we drew closer and closer to the entrance of Home tree the lighting began to get brighter and brighter, making my eyes adjust. By the time we were at the entrance the light from the sun was blinding. I hadn't been out of the tree in over a week. I shielded my eyes with my hands.
"Do you know how to ride a direhorse?" Anya asked, leading me out into the clearing outside the mouth of Home Tree. I took in a deep breath of Pandoran air. Other Na'vi were hanging around everywhere doing domestic duties, and even a few children were playing.
"No." Anya laughed.
"Guess you re going to have to learn." Right after these words were said, the sound of trotting, heavy hooves steadily approached.
"What! No! I-I can't!" I stammered hurriedly.
"Why not?" Anya said playfully, as a huge direhorse trotted to her side. She caressed its thick skinned jaw softly. Anya continued to giggle as she took in my panicked expression.
"I am only joking! We don't have nearly enough time to teach you." I frowned and bended down to dig my fingers in the mud to mold a decent sized clump.
"What are you-" Anya started, before I cut her off by chugging the mud in the dead center of her chest. I' been aiming for her face but that would do. By this time I was laughing like a crazy person.
I was quickly shut up when mud was splattered on my face; Anya had better aim then I did. I sputtered pathetically, it had gotten into my mouth!
"You will be riding with me," a deep voice said behind me. I turned around to see Gar'han approaching on his own direhorse. I tried my best to wipe the drippy mud off of my face. I'd never heard him speak until now. He swiftly climbed down.
Not waiting for a response from me, he tossed me a sleek bow. I caught it barely and studied the intricate carvings.
"The Na'vi carve their bows from the bark of their Hometree. It's sort of a rite of passage." Helen had told me once in my earlier years. It was pretty.
"Do you know how to use it," he asked, taking my sack and strapping it to the dire horse.
"Yes," I lied. I did not feel like receiving a long lesson on the art of archery, or whatever the Na vi called it.
"Good, let s go." With that he leaped gracefully onto the back of the direhorse, connecting his queue with the horse s antennae, in one swift motion. When Helen had taught me of the queue connections, I'd always thought it was a little gross. I felt a pair of arms being thrown around me. I awkwardly hugged Anya back.
"I hope you find what you re looking for," she said before letting me go.
I nodded. "Tell Janii I said goodbye." She nodded in affirmation with a grin.
With that I turned around to face the difficult task of mounting myself onto the back of direhorse. Riding behind Gar'han would be awkward.
Maybe it wouldn't be as awkward if we were wearing more clothes ...I quickly shut off my thoughts as Gar'han offered me his hand. Climbing onto the direhorse wasn't as hard as it looked. It was as if my body was meant for jumping and leaping.
I settled myself behind Gar han and wrapped my arms (casually as possible) around his slim waist, giving as much room between our bodies as possible, hoping I hadn't accidentally sat on his tail. I turned around to give a quick wave to Anya who waved as a young Na'vi child tugged at her tail for her attention.
Suddenly the direhorse lurched forward and I reflexively tightened my thighs around Gar'han. I felt him squirm a bit and I immediately loosened my hold.
This would definitely be awkward.
And that's chapter 2! Reviews make me happy and thanks for reading this far.